Airbus Helicopters completes first firing campaign with HForce system

Airbus Helicopters has recently completed a first round of firing tests with HForce, a generic weapon system in development for the company’s commercial helicopter range. The innovative system, which includes a central core unit, Thales’ Scorpion monocular helmet mounted sight display (HMSD), an electro-optical system (EOS) from Wescam as well as gunner armament weapon grips and weapon pods, has been undergoing testing for the past five months.

From May 25th to June 3rd, a firing campaign involving an HForce-equipped H225M took place on a dedicated range in Belgium. This allowed Airbus Helicopters to demonstrate the performance of HForce with ballistic weapons, including 12,7 mm guns, 70 mm rockets as well as 20 mm cannons.

“This important milestone, achieved on time, demonstrates that HForce achieves excellent results above specifications, and that it provides a real added value in terms of target tracking and acquisition for day or night missions, thanks to the EOS and HMSD”, said Jean-Luc André, HForce Program Manager.

HForce, whose development was launched two years ago, is an incremental, affordable, plug n’ play weapon management system that can be fitted onto any military version of Airbus Helicopters commercial range (H125M, H145M, H225M). HForce is designed to meet the requirements of defense agencies seeking light attack mission capabilities or a complement to their existing fleet of specialized attack helicopters.